The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-10-12
PAYING PENSIONS.
The Methods Adopted BY Some
Foreign Countries.

AuOpGCu Dy
Foreign Countries.
The most original feature in the current
annual report of Commissioner Black is its
description of the pension systems of for
eign countries The facts for this purpose,
says Washington special to the New York
Sun, were obtained in response to re-
quests made by him to American Ministers
and Consuls- General in various lands, and
General Black says that "the most courteous
consideration has been paid to the requests in
every instance save in the one addressed to
the Minister at the Court Of st. James,"
Turning to the individual foreign systems,
in the French each pension for any grade is
observed to contain what is called q maxi
mum and minimum figure:
For instance, that of a private soldier has
q minimum Of GOO and a maximum OF 15O
francs. The minimum pension is gained by
the length of service above stated, and for
each additional year of service the pen
sioner is entitled to an addition of one
twentieth of the difference between the
minimum and maximum until the maximum
is attained: An applicant who is entitled to
less than the maximum service pension is al-
lowed an addition for active campaign SER
vice, graded according to the nature Of his
service in the campaigns in which he served"
This is practically only analogous to our
longevity pay system, which accrueS to the
benefit of those who 60 on the retired list.
The German system is founded on the law
of 1871, and its general basis is laid down at
the outset of that law:
Every officer and military surgeon hold
ing the rank Of officer who draws his pay
from the army appropriations, receives life
pension if, after a period of service of at
least ten years, he has become incapacitated
for active service, and is discharged for that
reason.
IF the incapacity is caused by a wound or
other injury received in the service, without
the fault of the person thus injured, he will
be entitled to pension even after shorter
term of service than ten years."
The length of service becomes ground for
higher rate of peusion, as in the French
system.
Some of the rates of pension in Spain are
furnished by Commissioner Black:
eff by reason of wound or other accident
of war a soldier loses his sight or the entire
use of limb he receives, if Colonel, $4,000
reals (s1,60O; if Lieutenant Colonel, $4,000
($1,250; if Major, @, ,00J Isl, 100; if Cap
tain, 5000 (S750l; if a Lieutenant, 5000
(S400); if sub-Lieutenant, 5000 t$3OU. The
real in our money is worth about five cents.
After twenty years of service a Sergeant re-
eeeives per month S.; after twenty
thirty-five years of service, $s. A Ser
geant entirely disabled by accidental in
iurieS received in the service shall receive the
regular retired rate of pension per month,
from $225 to Sc. IS: corporals and privates
of all branches of the service receive as SER
vice pen 'ions after twenty years of service,
or in cases Of total disability, from S2.25 to
$3.50 per month"
The Turkish and Italian systems present
40 great elements of novelty, but the Rus
sian has peculiar feature:
1.-The pension system in Russia seems to bc
rather in the nature of mutual insurance
company operation. The fund was established
in 1859 by a donation from the imperial
treasury Of 7,500,O0 rubles. All the. bene-
fciaries legal and possible of this fund were
from thenceforth assessed 6 per cent
per annum on the amounts of their
salaries until the date Of the first pay
nent of pension, which began about the year
1865. The fund had then increased to 49,
100000 rubles. In 1880 the principle Of the
fund reached the sum Of 6S,OOO, ,OOO rubles.
The number Of benefciaries is very small"